


Takin' a stroll

by Hekmugi



Category: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:26:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22553227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hekmugi/pseuds/Hekmugi
Summary: Mao Mao couldn't sleep, so he took the early wake-up to clear his head a bit.Suggestion from /mmm/
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	Takin' a stroll

**Author's Note:**

> "Something comfy. Mao just taking a midnight stroll through the kingdom and appreciating what he has. I like little "in the moment" type of stuff."

The cold, creaking wood of the bottom bunk was insufferable tonight. Try as he might, the tossing and turning did little to help. By degrees, Mao Mao emerged from the cocoon of his cape, glaring at the far wall. Long shadows were cast over the area under the dim glow of a luminescent bulb from above.

_Badgerclops forgot to turn the light off. Again. That utter lazybones, burning through their battery stockpile in such a reckless fashion..._

Now he was in a mood, and the faintest shot he had at returning to sleep was gone. The clock on the wall read 3:23 am. That was enough sleep, probably. He resolved to do something special, like some extra meditation, or a night patrol or something. Of course, to do either of those, he was going to have to sneak his way out first.

With great caution, Mao Mao snuck a foot out from the bunk, padding onto the floor like a feather on the wind, making preparations to launch himself in a spinning motion so he could land on the floor with all fours. It was a perfect plan, only slightly ruined by the sound of crinkling paper piercing the stillness of the night as he put his weight on his extended leg.

_Badgerclops dropped his sketchbook in his sleep again. Fantastic._

A shock of surprise jolted through his body, an unexpected event jarring his groggy sneaking. Committing to the plan, he engaged in his spin, his cape billowing in a crimson blur around him. Unfortunately, it trailed a bit too low, kicking up the pile of papers into the air around him in a cacophonous clatter.

Mao Mao wanted to scream, his hands going to his mouth as if to preempt it. He maintained his composure, though, and began to tiptoe backwards towards the door when his ears twitched at the sound of Adorabat stirring.

“Mmmao Mao,” she murmured, wings rubbing her eyes, “issit mornin already?”

“Hush-sh-sh,” Mao Mao whispered, tickling the top of her head with a gloved paw, “Just using the bathroom. Go back to sleep.”

Adorabat mumbled an unintelligible grunt of assent, her eyes sliding shut once more, leaving Mao Mao free to abscond in peace.

Forsaking the Aero-Cycle, Mao Mao bent his head low into the folds of his cape as he walked off into the late night, alone with the wind and the stars. It was at times like these that he liked to take a mental assessment of his circumstances, reflecting on his past, mentally categorize the present, and plan for the future. After all, all true heroes had a plan.

But this time there wasn’t all that much to take note of. He and Badgerclops had accidentally discovered Pure Heart Valley ( _Legendary Pure Heart Valley, don’t forget!_ ), broke the Crystal Pure Heart ( _not so legendary_ ), and swore to become the Valley’s protectors as repayment. He hadn’t planned on settling down so soon, but the silver lining was acquiring a protégée - Adorabat. He would make a hero out of her yet, and probably go on to start a whole new line of legendary heroes all by himself. We’ll see what Shin thinks of that!

He was a good mile or two away from home, now. The road was rough and overgrown, leading down into the deep woods of the valley. From there only the top of the Spire could be seen, the fractured Ruby periodically pulsating a dull Pink that illuminated the top of the King’s castle. What a creep that guy is, he thought. Such an eccentric foppish lion, ruling over a candied, utterly pacified town that couldn’t put out a house fire, much less fight off a monster. Even the Sky Pirates were little more than glorified dumpster divers with a mid-to-low-functioning psychopath at the helm. He almost felt bad kicking their butts on a weekly basis. _Almost_.

Still, he couldn’t help but feel like his potential was being wasted here. The perils of the valley were mundane, little more than a warm-up for his potential. He didn’t feel like his limits were being pushed at all. If anything he was probably becoming complacent. He wasn’t old yet, but these were definitely his best years. It was all downhill from here, and he furrowed his brow at the thought of never amounting to more than just a sheriff. Not even the cool Western kind, either.

It was times like this he wondered if he needed to start over. Let Badgerclops stay behind with the kid and teach her to be some kind of... cyborg nerd thing. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d gone it alone, and it pained him to think about all the adventures he was missing out on - the glory he was giving up to some other wannabe from a nobody lineage of literal-whos, while he squandered the Mao family name by playing children’s games in a fairytale land.

...He had gone farther than he thought, caught up in the depths of his introspection. He had gone through the valley now and found himself at a rather scenic outlook at the edge of the kingdom. He saw everything from up here - the kingdom below, his home well behind him, that small forest fire they hadn’t put out yet - oh yeah, they should probably tell someone about that.

The first amber rays of sunshine peeked out from the horizon, signaling the coming morning. Mao Mao stopped at the side of the road, folding his legs together as he watched the sunrise. He wasn’t sure what the plan was, but he could at least get a good stretch in first.

He leaned left, then right, forward, and back. Stretching out his spine and working out the cricks and unreleased tension in his joints. Kicking his legs out in front of him, he went to stretch his back forward, reaching out for his toes. A gust of wind blew his cape over his head, enveloping his face as he thrashed around a bit.

“Ngah, stupid wind,” he grumbled, pulling the cape off of his face and tossing it behind him, “Ruining my center-“ he continued, only to notice a piece of paper stuck to one of his claws.

“What the- what is this, some litter?” He retracted the claw, turning the paper over. If there was a name on it he was going to give them some hell today. He wasn’t in the mood for-

His brooding was cut short by the subject of the paper. It was a picture, one of Badgerclops’s weird drawings.

“Must’ve gotten stuck in my cape...” Mao Mao trailed, looking it over. It was him, Adorabat, and Badgerclops standing on top of the Crystal triumphantly. Must’ve been from their recent escapade with that dumb necklace.

Some dew must’ve fallen from a tree onto his face, as some water slid down the sides of it. He definitely wasn’t crying, and definitely not getting wrapped up in the sentimentality of the adventures he had already had with his crew, brightening his outlook on his future. None of that, not at all.

Still, he figured Badgerclops would probably miss the drawing, so he folded it up and put it into his greaves. He’d give it back. Probably. Definitely wouldn’t hold onto it or cherish it.

The sun was over the horizon now, blanketing the valley in a warm orange glow. The sunlight felt good on his fur, the radiating warmth refreshing him. He took in a nice, long inhale of the crisp air and sighed wistfully before getting back to the road, making his way home.

**Author's Note:**

> Taking suggestions, feedback always appreciated.


End file.
